Bulldogs make a run, but fall short at the end

Monday

Jan 14, 2013 at 11:10 AMJan 14, 2013 at 11:53 AM

Ryan Ronan

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - After being called out by their head coach after their last game, Truman looked to rebound against the struggling Emporia State Hornets who came in winless in MIAA play, Saturday at Pershing Arena.

Like so many of their past games, TSU fell way behind early, railled late, but couldn’t get over the hump as they fell this time, 65-60.

The Hornets led by 14 with just over nine minutes to go in the first half. After cutting the lead to single-digits the Bulldogs were floundering a little bit on offense. That’s when head coach Matt Woodley inserted Isaac Gardner to the TSU lineup.

Gardner drilled four threes, all in the last 14 minutes, and was able to Truman pull even with nine and half minutes left, but that’s as close as the Bulldogs would get to stopping a three-game losing streak.

“We competed harder today, but still not as hard as I would like us to play. We also need to learn how to play at the end of games, but I don’t think we should have been in that position to begin with because teams continue to light us up from three. I have to figure that out, because right now what we’re are doing is not working,” said Woodley.

After scoring 80 points in three of their last four games, the Truman offense hit the skids a little against the Hornets. The Emporia defense was able to hold Cole Myers scoreless and Seth Jackson to only four points.

Needing a pick-me-up, Woodley went to Gardner off the Bulldog bench.

“It was great, we needed a lift. I told him [Gardner] at halftime he was going to get his chance. And he is the kind of player when he makes one, you can count on a couple more. I was really proud of him,” said Woodley.

With the help of Gardner and eight points from Jaylon Jones the TSU bench outscored the Hornets bench 20-11.

“I didn’t really do anything different. I have been struggling with my shot a little, but I still have the confidence to keep shooting, and the coaches put confidence in me and today I knocked some down,” said Gardner.

There were a couple of troubling numbers for the Bulldogs. One they never had the lead, only being able to tie the game on three occasions, and they went scoreless in the last two minutes and 10 seconds after making the furious comeback.

Some good signs for TSU, they outrebounded a much taller Hornet team and scored 10 more points in the paint.

“Mainly it’s the little things, like handling and valuing the basketball, and getting stops on defense. We’re so close and I feel like if we keep grinding good things will start to show up,” said Gardner.

The loss drops the Bulldogs to 5-9 and 2-4 in the MIAA. Truman will have an uphill battle as they travel to Topeka on Wednesday to play the 13th ranked and 10-2 Washburn Ichabods.